Fish Sticks
Well-known member
I love the variation, they come from different streams?
Fish Sticks
Well-known member
Beautiful Fish, they feel like run away dump trucks on 2-3 weight glass rods. And they hit surprisingly big flies so you can fish for many species at once
dc410
Well-known member
The photos in post #19 were of fish caught in warmwater streams in Lancaster, Berks and Perry Counties.
tomgamber
Well-known member
Below Blue Falls Dam and the bridge was my favorite panfish on the fly area at one time.
Fish Sticks
Well-known member
Those are some GOOOD counties for redbreasts. Lancaster especially.
My local stream got blown out from these rains. Has anyone ever gone after em in high water situations/stained water?
Fish Sticks
Well-known member
Wonderful Day on the lower Juniata. More Redbreasts in high density than I have ever seen. Dying to come back with 3 wt glass 7 footer. All caught on marabou slate drake wiggle nymph.
Steeltrap
Active member
When I was a kid.....way back in the late 60's.....I found some bass-bugs\Poppers in my Grandfathers fishing box. Tie one on a closed faced rod\reel, put a bobber on (you know....bobbers?...Fly guys call them floats....but they are really bobbers) and toss 'em near the weed beds at the Pymatuning. Caught hundreds (maybe thousands....perhaps millions?) of Bluegills back in the day. (Honest.....could have been millions....)
tomgamber
Well-known member
are you referring to a casting bubble?
Fish Sticks
Well-known member
Best redbreast of 2023 thus far. It ate size 6 crawbugger in the Juniata. Bent the 6 weight pretty good. I wonder how much crayfish redbreasts eat. I imagine a lot of juveniles and apparently a not juvenile crayfish(my fly)
Swattie87
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 3, 2011
- Messages
- 5,818
They have surprisingly big mouths for a sunfish. Not as big as Greens, but far bigger than Bluegills or Pumpkinseeds.
That’s a good one. I’m thinking my biggest ones go about 7”.
That’s a good one. I’m thinking my biggest ones go about 7”.
Fish Sticks
Well-known member
That section of the Juanita with the smaller smallmouth and big ref breasts would be a ball on my 3wt. I did spook a 12”-14 wading upstream.
S
Silent Ocelot
Well-known member
12-14" redbreast? I don't think panfish get that large in PA or are you referencing another species?
Fish Sticks
Well-known member
Oh i was talking about the smallmouth in that section
S
Silent Ocelot
Well-known member
On Saturday the redbreasts saved the day. Recent rains had cooled off and raised the water level in the river me and a friend decided to fish. I had a hard time keeping my streamer down in the current even with a sink tip attachment and shot. The first stretch we hit I bagged a couple of 8 inch smallies and the larger hook I had on my streamer penetrated parts of the fish's face I didn't want it to. We went upstream a couple miles and found that although the water had decreased in flow rate and turbidity, it was cooler, almost trout cool. We finally got into a mixed bag of fish (fallfish, smallmouth, rockbass, and redbreasts) at a point in the creek where it comes back together. Me and a buddy found that small streamers seemed to produce so I tied on a hot orange beaded black bunny leech because it had produced a large number of redbreasts as well as a decent smallmouth that was close to 12 inches the last time I had fished this river. Fished that fly until the paint fell off of the bead. Right at the end I fished a stretch of flat water that had been significantly more productive in recent years with a steady population of perch, pickerel, largemouth, and generously sized bluegill. Tied on a yellow Booglebug (don't know the size but it was slightly larger than the smallest size available and had a flat nose) trailed by a pink beaded pheasant tail size 14. Those two flies seemed to be the ticket and I had some fun working some shallow water with a bit of current to it. This seemed to be the spot for redbreasts and I enjoyed their explosive takes.
Last edited:
S
Silent Ocelot
Well-known member
Gotcha. Now that I reread your post I should have seen you named smallies and redbreasts so I should have assumed you meant smallmouth (face palm moment for me, I haven't had my coffee yet and I am coming off of a three day fishing trip that ended in booze every night).
Fish Sticks
Well-known member
Redbreasts are often the highlight of my multi-species warm water stream trips
S
Silent Ocelot
Well-known member
They sure are! It's incredible that I can feel them on a high-power saltwater 7wt (can't say the same for fallfish, they feel weak on the 7).
JeremyW
Active member
yeah I was fishing in VA for the same type, but with worm jig patterns under an indicator.... fish after fish...
